The Life of Rodor Flomen
by Word of Mouth
Summary: Events in this story are events that happened to me while playing on a Neverwinter Nights(TM) server called Krynn_Dragonlance. This story is NOT accurate to the world of dragonlance, I made half of the names up. Enjoy.
1. Prelude

Prelude  
  
It was his 19th birthday and he was finally old enough; by the Flomen family tradition, to start his own house of Flomen in another town. However, Rodor being the youngest of five, and because of all of his father's brothers and sisters, and all of the family before them, almost all of the large cities were taken. The best that was left for Rodor was a small town named Solace, named for it's peaceful nature.  
On the seventy-sixth day of the year, his family bid him farewell and He left with a caravan in tow, with builders to build his home, guards to guard him on the way there and when the house was established, servants to clean his home, and his share of the Flomen family treasure.  
The trip from his home of Nethercarisa to Solace would be long and perilous. Armed with his great sword, and wearing armor of leather studded with iron. This was all strictly for show Rodor had almost no knowledge at all how to use a weapon.  
  
It was a month into Rodor's journey; there was only one week of travel left. Jozam was a lean muscular man with scars decorating his body; he armored himself with a shirt of chain mail under a dark cloak. The bandit lord was aging; his once youthful appearance was gone, and had long left him now that he was nearing the age of 56. Jozan had been the head of countless raids on small villages and traveling caravans. This would be his greatest feat. Was in control of 80 bandits, the Flomen's men outnumbered him by twenty, but he hoped the battle would be in his favor. This would be his last great raid, the greatest one in all history. He had set up traps for every member of the Flomen family, he planned to kill and loot every single one. The plan had been in motion for years, and now it was to come. On the fifth hour of the ninty-eighth day of the year, bandits placed all over the realm would slay and sac every living Flomen. He did not expect to get away with this feat, and he did not expect to live to see any of the recovered booty. He knew it was luck that kept him alive for so many years, and now he would go out in such a fashion that he would never be forgotten. In exactly twenty minutes the entire Flomen family empire would be destroyed.  
  
The day was drawing to a close, and in a short time they would stop and set up camp for the night. Rodor was idly toying a large crossbow when Rorge, the head of his guard stepped up. Smiling and saying "So you want to learn to use weapons after all." Rodor grinned and replied "I'm sure you are the man to teach me" Still smiling, Rorge began to explain how to load, cock, and fire a crossbow. "You see, first you fit the bolt in there, yeah, like that, now, pull that lever and-" Rorge stopped mid-sentence, gasped, dropping to his knees.  
The camp was suddenly alive with the sounds of battle, arrows came sailing from the forest, slaying masses of people at a time. Rodor dove into a wagon and cocked the crossbow.  
Sticking his head out Rodor looked down to the life-less corpse of Rorge, an arrow sticking out of his back. Rodor then looked to the woods that surrounded them and saw men clad in black rushing out from the trees, the sun glinting off of their naked steel.  
Aiming carefully Rodor planted a bolt into the eye of one of the bandits, but more were coming. Arrows sailed through the air like rain, killing dozens by the second. What was left of his guard had formed a circle around Rodor's wagon defending it from the rushing bandits.  
Rodor hastily reloaded and got another shot off, this time hitting in the leg, and one of his guard finished him off. Bandits now surrounded them, pushing. Some were already looting corpses of the dead. The bandits close to the guards started to parry, instead of attack, and the ones further away pulled out longbows and shot the guards.  
There was no way the guards could defend against this, and after the first round of arrows half were dead. Cornered, and with no other choice one of the guards raised his sword and rushed at the enemy at an alarming rate, the others followed. Joined by their cry, Rodor unsheathed his great sword and left the wagon and joined the fight.  
Seconds seemed like hours, Rodor fought, badly. He came to match blades with an old man whose face was scared badly. He swung his great sword wildly, trying to hit him. As the battle raged on he saw that his side was losing.  
In the brief moment he took to survey the field the old man disarmed him, and knocked him down. Unarmed, Rodor saw a knife in the hand of a nearby corpse, he grabed it and trust it into the old man who was not expecting him to have a weapon again so quickly.  
Rodor grabbed his crossbow and dove behind a turned-over wagon as he began to reload. He loaded the bolt, fitted it, and cocked it. He looked around the side of the cabin and saw that two bandits were left. They saw him and came rushing at him. Rodor fired, hitting one in the neck.  
Havig no weapon, and no time to reload, he looked ahead and saw his greatsword in the dirt where it had landed when Rodor was disarmed. He made a wild dash for it was the bandit closed in. He slid in the dirt and grabbed it, the bandit was so close he didn't have time to stand up, on his knees and having a three foot longer reach than the bandit, he drew his greatsword and plunged it into the enemies gut.  
  
Rodor was the only one left. There were a few badly wounded servants, builders, guards, and bandits who Rodor was forced to end their pain. He had a large cut in his side that he couldn't recall getting. Slowly, bloodstained and his great sword on his back, Rodor, the last surviving member of the Flomen family, slowly made his way to the town of Solace. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One. The Beginnings  
  
Rodor had walked for days and days. Living off of small animals, berries, and sometimes leafs. He was ragged and dirty when he reached the settlement of Solace. He walked straight to the inn and used his last few pieces of platinum for a meal.  
After eating, he looked around. There were all sorts of people, most armored in various copper. Some were helmed and some weren't, there were two dwarves boxing in the middle of the inn. Rodor watched with confusion how when one of the dwarves fell down, they both playfully slapped each others back, and went about their business.  
Suddenly he felt naked. He looked to his waist and saw his dagger was gone. Looking around Rodor saw no one dashing away, the inn had been just the same. Rodor had never been stolen from before. He quickly stood up and almost ran out of the inn.  
Outside there were people discussing things from the mines to the growing paxian threat. Frustrated, Rodor walked towards the entrance of the town, when he heard the sounds of swordplay from the north. He walked though some trees to find a small clearing in he wood, full of practice dummies. He quickly walked over to a near-by woman who was violently attacking a dummy with a long sword and asked "What is this place?"  
Surprise to hear his voice she missed a swing and almost fell down. She got straight back up and said "A training area."  
"For what?" Rodor asked, appalled.  
"You're new to this town, aren't ye." She commented "Those paxian bastards from the south are growing hostile. they killed a caravan of supplies that we needed that was from new port last week."  
Rodor had studied some of the maps of the land while he was in his own caravan. He knew that Pax Tharkus, home of the Paxian's and their slaves was to the far south of Solace, and that New Port was a small port, that ships from Haven would dock at. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on but he asked "Mind if I join?"  
She grunted and motioned to the dummy next to her. Rodor unsheathed his greatsword and began to swing. "I didn't catch your name." He said.  
"That's because I didn't say it. But if you must know it's Jeroha." She replied.  
As the day went on more and more people came. Some would use sticks, others their bare hands. After a few hours a man in black came into the clearing. And slowly made his way to a woman to used a knife on her dummy. He reached into her pouch and stole a hefty amount of platinum. The woman noticed instantly and slashed the man in black with her knife but missed. She then cried out "THIEF!!!"  
Rodor suddenly became aware of the situation and ran to the man in black who was already running. He turned around and drew a thin Rapier blade to face Rodor. Jeroha was also coming at the thief and got behind him. The man in black had not noticed Jeroha and was ready to fight Rodor, but suddenly he slumped to his knees as Jeroha stabbed him in the back.  
The man in black was on his knees. Rodor shouted "Give the woman her platinum back!"  
The thief did the opposite, he started to pull out a knife that Rodor immediately recognized as his own, and in one brutal swing he tore the man's head from his body.  
He took his knife back, and looked in the man's pouch for the woman's gold he saw a mace made of iron. Rodor took that as well as his gold. He then walked over to the woman and said "Here you are." Giving her his gold.  
The woman looked instantly relived saying "Thankyou. oh, I'm so sorry! My name is Ridel."  
Rodor was feeling a stronger fighter now, and there was some extra platinum from the thief that Rodor had stolen, so he suggested "Jeroha, Ridel. It's been a long day. Lets go to the inn and have a drink, it's on me"  
They both agreed so they made their way to the inn, they did not get far. Just as they got outside the training area a man rushed up to them and said "Hurry! Come quick! You've got to help us!"  
The three of them followed the man to behind a small building that looked as if it sold clothes. Behind the building there were three men and the one who led them there, all armed and and standing.  
The men positioned themselves to that Rodor Jeroha and Ridel had all of their backs against the wall. Instantly sensing the situation Jeroha drew her long sword and gave out a screeching warcry and the four men moved in.  
Ridel was still reaching for her dagger when the first blade pierced her, then another and she slumped to the ground. In rage Rodor drew his Great Sword and sliced one of his attackers in the gut, their intestines falling out of his belly.  
Jeroha was parrying two bandits with her back to a tree, Rodor started to go towards her when the third hit Rodor in the head with a mace. His face was torn but Rodor fought for his life.  
A quick glance at Jeroha showed that she was in none to good shape, and was already scratched and bleeding. Rodor knew he needed to get to her but the man with the mace was too fast for him. In a state of sheer rage and frustration he managed to hit the mans arm where he held the mace. The man was knocked down by the force of Rodor's hit. Rodor then put his great sword into the man's neck.  
Jeroha saw that Rodor had defeated his enemy and stabbed one of her own, killing him. The other one then stabbed Jeroha in the gut and she sank to the ground. Rodor came behind him and stabbed him in the back with his dagger.  
Suddenly the carnage was over. All of the men were dead. He rushed to Jeroha, but her life was slipping out of her with her blood. Rodor walked to her but she died before he reached her. Suddenly he was aware. Aware of all he had lost. His past life, and now the only two friends he had; both lost to bandits. Rodor took two steps back from the scene, then two, three. He was running and he did not know where too.  
He ran through the west exit of the town and went into a small hollow in a cliff, and laid down to escape the rain. Feeling horribly, horribly lost, he went to sleep.  
  
The next morning he was awoken by a badger scuffling through the grass near by. Rodor grabbed his knife and killed it.  
While he ate his meal he realized that the bandits were all clad in copper. Quickly and hoping the corpses were still there ran to the scene of the fight. Sadly, everything had already been looted. Only pools of blood remained.  
He slowly walked to the forge. He would need armor. The heat of the forge was extreme, ten forges blazing, and the noise was just the same with ten anvils all being pounded.  
He walked to a man behind a forge. And asked "I need armor"  
The smith looked him over and replied "That you do. The best I can make is copper scale mail, though."  
Rodor grinned and said "Good enough, I'll take one"  
The Smith then said "Sure thing, but I need money"  
Rodor had not considered this. He had none. So he told the smith to start working on the armor and he would be back eventually. Once outside he saw a man carrying a large sack full of animal skins that he was selling to vendors. He was only making about one platinum a skin, but his sack was so full he could be making hundreds.  
Inspired, Rodor grabbed his knife and planned to do just the same. He found badgers and deer. Skinned them and sold the skins. It was hard work, and time consuming.  
Over the course of six days Rodor finally had saved 60 platinum pieces. He strode into the forge and found the man who he had talked to before and asked "Do you have my armor?"  
The smith looked up from the sword he was crafting, and pulled a suit of scales from behind his anvil. And said "That'll be seventy platinum pieces."  
Rodor put on his best socked face and said "Seventy?! That's highway robbery! Fifty!" "Fifty-five and not a piece lower." The smith growled. He then added "And that's not highway robbery." Gleefully Rodor paid and put his new suit on, just as he was thanking the smith for doing such a wonderful job on the copper scales, a dwarven woman ran into the forge and screamed "The Pax are attacking!!! Everyone to Arms the Pax are attacking!!!"  
Rodor drew his sword, the smith who made his armor and another smith ran out of the forge while other smiths muttered about wanting to stay out of it. The dwarven woman led them to the south part of town where Rodor was put in a group, with one woman cald in silver plate, and a longsword with shield, a kender who looked to be a warrior and the two smiths.  
As they went into the battle-field their were already corpses all over. Rodor asked the smith who made his armor. "What is your name?"  
The smith replied "I'm Sunrain Elas, cleric healer. And that be my friend Tolan."  
The battle was most over it seemed when Rodor and the others reached it, corpses were so thick you could hardly see the grass beneath them. Rodor managed to get some good items from them; a copper coif, some nice brown gloves, and a few magical potions of healing.  
When they reached the battle the paxian's were falling back and the woman in iron plate screamed "Chaaaaaarge!" and they charged, running down pax and chasing them, past the old south road, and they charged, killing and chasing all the way to an area Rodor remembered as being called Gateway, it was a few small farms surrounded by trees.  
In the middle of the area Rodor saw a Paxian, injured and slowly moving. He ran in. "Rodor, NO!" Sunrain called, but the furry of battle made Rodor rush at them suddenly five paxian's ran out of the trees shooting arrows, one hit Rodor in the leg as Tolan tried to go in to save Rodor but he was hit in the side with an arrow. Rodor swung and killed the injured paxian and tried to get to cover but before he could move another hit his side. The woman clad in iron was calling for whoever had bows or crossbows to shoot the archers, and Rodor's world spun as he hit the ground.  
Hours later, Rodor awoke, he was naked and his great sword was gone. Even the arrows that were planted in his leg and side had been stolen.  
Rodor tried to stand, but the pain in his leg was too much, so he crawled, slowly. There were naked corpses around everywhere, he could not tell if Solace had won the battle or not. It was raining again as Rodor slowly crawled back to Solace. If the town lay in ruins, he would know who had won the battle. 


End file.
